Valerie Williams loves to move. Her energy and sensitivity to the audience let her dance in a way that is highly expressive and delightfully clear. As a much sought after choreographer, teacher and residency artist, she communicates not only the discipline but the joy of dance as well.
Recent Experiences and Projects
In 2001, Carolina Cruz-Neira and I began making plans for a project incorporating dance in virtual reality. After the events of September 11, 2001, we decided to focus our idea on a memorial, and created Ashes to Ashes (2002), a performance for stage and virtual reality. Created in collaboration with composer Anne Deane and engineer Carolina Cruz-Neira, the project did not incorporate dance the way we thought it would: the dances and virtual reality visuals stayed too far apart, and while developed simultaneously, were not produced together because of our lack of knowledge.
In 2002, I studied with Mark Coniglio, creator of Isadora* and continue using that program; connecting Isadora with other manipulative software is my current concern. I use cameras, microphones, wired and wireless transmitters and receivers, flex sensors, piezo sensors to change and manipulate the visual and aural environment, and am currently working to connect a user voice in and out, using programs such as Voce. In April, 2006, Wen-Chieh Chang, Yelena Maksimova and I did link Voce with Isadora, but the link is tenuous and needs to be strengthened. My goals are to widen the choices for dancers and technology, and to allow dancers more control over their environment. For instance, music begins when the dancer initiates it; video appears in response to the dancer's placement on stage; the dancers' movements alter the visual environment.
Previous concerts, notably Tribes (2003) and Air and Amor (2003), used video as part of the performance, providing light, color, images and sometimes characters to dance with and react to. Up and Coming Gods, performed at the Forker Building, ISU campus in June, 2004, used video and real-time video manipulation in a concert of dances that asked the questions: "What do we worship? What are our contemporary gods?"
Assisted Living, performed at the Ames City Auditorium in April, 2005, was the first use of VRJuggler outside the C6 Virtual Reality Cave. Developed by Valerie Williams, Carolina Cruz-Neira, Yifei Wang, Lew Hill, Jonathan Gandrud, and Romeu Bessa, the dancers (Ben Rethmeier and Elizabeth Williams) wore flex sensors that transmitted through wireless MicaZ dots to a computer off stage. Isadora coordinated with VR Juggler, but didn't link. Using wireless microphones and piezo pressure sensors on the dancers allowed them to controll the sound, running through Isadora. The 3d projections were controlled by VR Juggler on a different computer. The audience was given polarized glasses to see the 3d virtual set. We learned a good deal about projection surfaces and what works best; the necessity for proper antennae on the stage, and how far we had to go to link all the programs.
Sensor/Censor, May, 2006, performed at the Ames City Auditorium contrasted machine like professional dancers with very human amateur dancers in a concert that used interactive video and sound. In Fall, 2005, I was the outside consultant for a Senior Design Project, Computer Control of Theater Electronics, directed by Dr. Julie Dickerson (See the project here). I set the goals and specifications for the development of a wireless flex sensor system, and then directed it's integration (through OSC) with Isadora. We used TinyOS to program the sensors, and used Open Sound Control as a protocol for Isadora to 'hear' the incoming signal. The dances in the concert, Sensor/Censor, were developed as the technology was being developed. The next step is to use the technology in rehearsal so the dances are created not just with the technology in mind, but integrally with the technology, because I believe that using the sensors allows us the freedom for accident. I intend to continue asking the questions: " How do we maintain the humanity in technology? Is technique as important as dancing? How do we allow for the random vs planned events, cooperation vs adversary, alone vs together?"
Kid's Co'Motion concerts have used video, video capture and projection in many performances. Kids' Co'Motion is an annual three-week dance performance workshop teaching composition as well as dances. KCM culminates in a fully produced performance at the Ames City Auditorium. Please see Co'Motion Dance Theater web site for more information.
Valerie's credits include work as rehearsal director for Bill T. Jones, New York City; international rehearsal director for Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin/The Promised Land; director and choreographer for Co'Motion Dance Theater, Ames, Iowa; musical theater choreography for more than 60 productions (professional, community theater, high school); Artist In Schools/Communities for over 20 years. She was commissioned by Teatro Studio in Rome, Italy to set her choreography of Divine Liturgy; performed inThe Promised Land in Spoleto, Italy; and was rehearsal director for the Lyon Opera Ballet in Lyon, France: Love Defined (1992), 24 Images/Seconde (1995).
* Isadora is a graphic programming environment that provides interactive control over digital media, with special emphasis on the real-time manipulation of digital video.